TORONTO — When Stuart Percy joined the Toronto Marlies earlier this month, with instructions from above that the 2011 first-round draft pick was to play in some games, head coach Dallas Eakins rolled his eyes.

The American Hockey League might only be a development league, but it was still a place where grown men with years of experience struggle. And the Marlies, who had the second-best record in their conference, were already deep with NHL-calibre talent after the Maple Leafs had been eliminated from the playoffs.

To ask Percy, an 18-year-old who had missed half the season with the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League because of a concussion and a knee injury, to make the jump from juniors was not realistic or particularly fair.

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“I was hesitant in putting him in,” said Eakins. “They had been kind of pushing me to give him a try. But they were good. They understood that I just didn’t have any confidence in him.”

That has changed.

Percy, who recorded an assist in his minor-league debut in the final game of the regular season, helped the Marlies sweep the Rochester Americans in the first round of the playoffs. He is expected to be in the lineup when the second round begins in Toronto on Tuesday against the Abbostford Heat.

“He surprised me with his play,” Eakins said of Percy, who has no points and is a plus-1 in three playoff games. “He went in and played well and we gave him another chance. So he’s played well. It could change for him depending on his play, but right now I have no issues with him playing.”

Percy, who was selected 25th overall, has another year of junior eligibility. But with him being partnered with 21-year-old Jake Gardiner, it is difficult not to look ahead at a potential NHL defence pairing.

As a rookie with the Maple Leafs this season, Gardiner established himself as an offensive threat from the back end. He scored seven goals and had 30 points, all the while displaying the puck-moving ability of a young Brian Campbell.

In Percy, the Leafs might have yet another defenceman with similar speed, skill and smarts.

“I told my dad that,” said Gardiner. “Right away, I noticed how calm [Percy] was and the smart plays he made. Just being his [defensive] partner, it’s nice having him back there with the puck. He can give it back to me or make a play. That’s good. We can kind of rely on each other.”

“We complement each other well,” said Percy, who figures he will be more of a two-way defenceman. “I think [Gardiner’s] a bit more effective on the rush and carrying the puck than I am. My offence comes from moving the puck and just staying safe at the top, where he can take the puck and wheel around and keep his feet moving. It’s fun to watch sometimes.”

Watching Gardiner and Percy together, it is sometimes hard not to get caught up in their potential. They are a natural fit, like Chicago’s Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. At the beginning of practice on Thursday, they played keep away with the puck, laughing the whole time as each tried to one-up the other with a move. Teammates skated by and just shook their heads.

“We’ll see how it goes down the road,” said Percy, whose goal is to try and steal an NHL job out of training camp, like Gardiner did last season. “You never know. I just try to play my game and give him the puck when I can. It’s been great so far.”

“There’s so much talk of that,” Gardiner said of playing with Percy. “[Luke] Schenn and I played five games together this year and it was like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be partners for years to come.’ So I don’t know. But I’d like to play with him in the future.”

There is, of course, one small detail possibly standing in the way of a long-term on-ice relationship between these two: both shoot left-handed.

“It’s just too bad,” said Gardiner, who has graciously moved to the right side for now. “We might have to switch it up.”

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